Father faces jail after dog killed baby son

 A father has been told a jail term is “inevitable” after his three-week-old baby son was mauled to death by the family’s terrier.

Ryan Young, 32, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to admit being the owner of a dog which caused injury that was dangerously out of control. The charge related to Reggie Richardson, who was just 20 days old when he died as a result of his injuries at the family home in Sunderland in June 2015.

A separate charge of neglect, which Young denied, will lie on file.

Recorder Nicholas Lumley granted Young bail to allow for a psychological assessment to be carried out. The judge heard Young missed a pre-trial hearing on June 1. Caroline Goodwin, defending, told the judge: “He simply could not face coming to court, there is no greater excuse than that.”

Young will be sentenced at a later date.